20 Beautiful State Parks You've Never Heard Of

Everyone is familiar with Yellowstone and Yosemite. And for good reason: they're gorgeous. But we're going to go on record that these less well-known destinations are just as picturesque — and probably way less crowded, too.

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Katmai National Park — Alaska

This Alaskan park is home to several active volcanoes and is known for having a high population of brown bears. Sure, those stats might frighten you, but the beauty of the landscape is unbeatable.

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Fall Creek Falls State Park — Tennessee

The 256-foot-tall waterfall will be the main thing people talk about post-visit. Probably because it's the highest one in the eastern United States.

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Mojave National Preserve — California

This Southern California park might look barren, but it's actually home to some of the most unique natural elements — like all the hole-in-the-wall cliffs dotted across the steep mountainsides.

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Isle Royale National Park — Michigan

Each year, only about 15,000 people visit this park, which is located on an island on Lake Superior — but clearly everyone else is missing out on something truly beautiful. Pro tip: Explore by water to check out the nearby lighthouse.

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Cuyahoga Valley National Park — Ohio

Somewhere between Cleveland and Akron in Ohio is this park, famous for the Brandywine Falls. Visitors should also add walking across the 19th century Everett Road Covered Bridge to their must-do list.

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Petrified Forest National Park — Arizona

Leave it to Arizona to have one of the most colorful parks in the country and yet barely a speck of green. The desert is filled with the bright quartz color of fossilized wood.

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Dry Tortugas National Park — Florida

About 70 miles east of Key West, Florida is this park that features teal waters and some of the best scuba diving in the state. The only catch? You can only get to the park by seaplane or boat.

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Carlsbad Caverns National Park — New Mexico

According to geologists, this park in New Mexico used to be a coastline of an inland sea. Today, it's made up of more than 119 undergroundcaves, including the famous "Big Room," which is 4,000 feet long.

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Voyageurs National Park — Minnesota

An incredible 40% of this Minnesota park is water, thanks to three lakes and many other waterways. It's not uncommon for beavers, moose and gray wolves to be spotted amongst the brush, either.

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Great Basin National Park — Utah

This Utah-based park is known for being home to the bristlecone pine, which is a tree that's almost 5,000 years old and one of the oldest living organisms on Earth. It also has one of the tallest mountains in the state.

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North Cascades National Park — Washington

There are more than 300 glaciers in this Washington-based park that's understandably known for it's wide variety of plants and animals. There are even 400 miles of trails for humans who wish to explore it by foot.

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Congaree National Park — South Carolina

You can probably already tell this South Carolina park is filled with lots of marine life, including alligators and turtles. And, apparently, all those animals have the Sierra Club to thank for stopping the area from being demolished back in 1969.

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Big Bend National Park — Texas

In western Texas is this national park that offers both flat terrain from the Chihuahuan Desert and steep canyon walls from the Chisos mountain range.

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Crater Lake National Park — Oregon

Even though Oregon is made up of many natural wonders, this is the only national park in the state. It used to be home to Mount Mazama, until it erupted and formed a mountain in the middle of Crater Lake.

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Mammoth Caves National Park — Kentucky

In Kentucky, you'll find this national park, which is home to the longest cave system known in the entire world. The system is capped off with a layer of sandstone, which makes it surprisingly stable.

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Haleakala National Park — Hawaii

This Hawaiian park is on the island of Maui and features a diverse range of nature, including volcanic lands, bamboo forests and even ocean coasts. Most visitors make sure to stop by the Haleakala Crater.

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Olympic National Park — Washington

This Washington park was honored with a World Heritage Site title in 1981 and is popular thanks to the Lake of Angels and several active glaciers on top of the mountains.

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Badlands National Park — South Dakota

Anyone willing to brave it to the badlands in South Dakota will be rewarded with fossil finds and the occasional bison, bighorn sheep and prairie dog sightings. Worth it? You bet.

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Shenandoah National Park — Virginia

Even though you've probably heard of the Blue Ridge Mountains, you might not have heard of this Virginia park that offers over 500 miles of hiking on said terrain.

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Capitol Reef National Park — Utah

Known as a 100-mile "wrinkle in the Earth," this Utah-based park is made up of red rock formations, canyons and cliffs. The park is even named after a rock formation that resembles the U.S. Capitol Building.

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